Always In My Heart
by xXstardust401Xx
Summary: A tragic twoshotsongfic of friendship, love, death, and life. Requited love is sadest when it is known too late. GaaraXoc. Please give it a chance and R&R!


Always In My Heart

**Hey people! I'm new at writing and this is the first piece that I've posted on here. So R&R please and let me know what you think! Oh yea, and please be nice**

**Summary:**

**A tragic twoshot/songfic of friendship, love, death, and life. GaaraXoc.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto. Happy? But I **_**do**_** own my character!**

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Asagi ran through the dark, lonely streets of Konoha.

'_Dammit'_ she thought as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Her soft porcelain face was stained with tears and her vision was blurry.

She continued running aimlessly. She needed to run somewhere, anywhere.

She wanted to be as far away as possible from him.

She stumbled a bit but caught her balance and slowed down to take a much needed breath. Carefully, she leaned against the wall next to her.

As she breathed heavily, she gently wiped her tear-stricken eyes and tried to calm herself down.

She turned so her back was against the wall and she hopelessly slid down.

Head downcast, she brought her small hands up to her face and cried silently while her bangs covered her teary eyes.

A few moments passed by and she removed her now wet hands from her still watery eyes and looked up to the dark sky.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her violet eyes glazed across the star-spotted sky. Her tearful eyes searched the starry sky for a speck of clarity just as she searched the depths of her heart for answers.

'_Why did it turn out this way? Why did it get so out of hand?'_

The wind blew, silently swaying her long turquoise hair and sending small shivers down her back.

She brought her arms together and slowly rubbed them in a vain attempt to stay warm.

She let out a small, grim laugh. _'I don't even remember how it started.'_

_Flashback_

_It was late. A boy slowly opened the front door and walked inside, being as quiet as possible. He walked into the living room and set down his gourd near the wall._

_A creak was heard behind him and he swiftly turned around. In front of him stood a girl. His best friend, Asagi._

_She looked at the boy as if he had betrayed her. "Why?" _

_He inwardly grimaced. Her voice was filled with a mixture of emotions, hurt being the most recognizable._

"_Why didn't you tell me you had a mission to go on?"_

_Silence._

"_Answer me Gaara! Why didn't you tell me?"_

_Said boy looked away. "I didn't want you to worry." He couldn't stand to look at his friend knowing he had caused her pain._

"_You didn't want… I would have felt better knowing where you were!"_

_He knew what he said wasn't true. He knew that she would be worried either way. The real reason was because he feared for her safety._

"_You know I'd be worried even if you told me. Tell me the real reason you didn't tell me you had a mission."_

_He looked down into her violet eyes and then looked away. "I was worried, alright." He knew it. He realized it long ago._

"_Worried? About what?" she asked, her anger rising._

"_I was worried about your safety." He loved her. He knew the risk of being around her and yet he couldn't bring himself to leave her._

"_What do your missions have to do with my safety?"_

_But to be with her. He wouldn't jeopardize her safety anymore than he already had. "Everything."_

"_What do you mean everything?" She didn't understand. He didn't expect her to._

"_Think about it Asagi. If some people were to find out that you associate with me, you could be in danger!"_

"_What does it matter to you?" If only she knew._

_He paused. "You're my friend Asagi, how could it not matter to me what happens to you?" But he wouldn't tell her._

_Asagi broke down; Gaara couldn't figure out why._

"_I hate you!" she shouted at him. Gaara quickly turned his head towards the girl. Taken back, he absent-mindedly took a small step back as he stared at the girl in shock._

_Asagi ran around him and out the door. Gaara reluctantly processed the harsh words of the girl. He slowly turned around and watched the girl's fleeting form fade from his view._

_It's for her own good._

_End Flashback_

Asagi averted her gaze to the ground. _'How could I have said that to him? I'm sure it must have hurt him. I didn't mean to say it. I was just…'_ her thoughts trailed off.

'_Why does he worry about my safety when he's the one going on dangerous missions?'_

'_You're my friend Asagi, how could it not matter to me what happens to you?' _His words rang in her head.

'_You're my friend Asagi'_

'_You're my friend'_

'_My friend'_

'_Dammit why does it matter? Why did I get so upset? If anything, I should be happy that he worries about me, but…'_

'_We're just friends. It shouldn't bother me but… it does. And I don't know why.'_

Confused, she brought her legs together and wrapped her arms around them. She gently placed her head on her knees and silently cried.

Gaara stared at the crescent moon from a branch in the large oak tree. He was confused beyond words.

'_Was she serious? Does she really hate me?'_

He didn't know what to do. Should he go after her or just let her cool off? He still wasn't sure.

One thing he did know was that it was killing him inside knowing that Asagi was upset, and apparently he was the cause of it.

He hated upsetting her and he hated it when she cried, especially when she cried because of him. He always felt as if he was being stabbed in the heart.

Though, he couldn't figure out for the life of him why Asagi broke down so suddenly. Could he have said something hurtful? No, that couldn't possibly be it; if anything, she should have been happy he told her how much her safety meant to him.

Of course she didn't know it, but he would do anything for her; even if it meant giving up his own life in the process. That's how much he loves her.

But he'd never told her how much she means to him, and he didn't plan on telling her anytime soon. It wouldn't be right to put her in danger just because of his emotions.

'_What went wrong?'_ he wondered. That was the biggest question of all, for him at least. He continuously replayed the fight in his head, searching for the slightest clue that could offer some clarity.

Thoroughly as he searched through his memories, his efforts proved futile. There was nothing that he could recall that would be of substantial evidence to support her emotional breakdown.

He watched as a brown leaf slowly floated to the ground. _'I wonder what she's doing right now' _he sighed.

His eyes glazed over the starry night sky.

He couldn't shake it, but there was an unsettling feeling that he couldn't place. He began to get worried.

Pushing his uncertainties aside, Gaara came to a conclusion.

'_I can't take this anymore. I need to find her and know that she's alright.'_

Without a second thought, Gaara jumped from the branch that he was sitting on and began walking through the quiet village.

Asagi had stopped crying. Slowly, she stood up and began walking from whence she came.

'_I feel horrible for saying those things to him.'_ She decided she was going to find Gaara and apologize.

'_I hope he's not mad at me for yelling at him and running off.'_ She inwardly cringed at the thought. She couldn't stand the idea of her best friend being mad at her.

'_Right, that's what we are…, best friends…'_

Whenever she thought about their friendship she found her chest always ached. She hadn't the slightest clue what it meant.

All she knew was that each time she thought about it, the stronger the pain would get.

Of course she knew it wasn't because they were friends that she hurt. Oh no. She couldn't have asked for a better friend. He was always there when she needed him. He listened to her problems. He helped her out around her house since she lived alone.

She honestly didn't know why she hurt when she thought about their friendship.

'_Whatever'_ she thought. _'It's probably nothing.'_

Pushing that thought aside, she continued on her way back to her house.

As she was walking past an alley, two men jumped in front of her. Asagi gasped and took a step back.

Just as she stepped back, two more men jumped behind her.

She gasped again and quickly spun around so her back was facing the alley. She cautiously looked to her left then to her right.

'_This isn't good!'_ she thought as she looked straight ahead. That was her best means of escaping.

Just as she was about to run forward, another man jumped right in her path.

'_Shit, this really isn't good!'_ She eyed all five men carefully. They were all ninjas, from where she didn't know nor did she have the time to figure that out now. She suspected the man standing directly in front of her to be their leader.

"Is she the one, boss?" one of the men to her right asked. He looked to the man in front of her and her suspicion was confirmed.

Said man surveyed the girl's face for no more than a couple seconds. "Yea, she's the one. No doubt about it." He chuckled maliciously.

"What's a pretty little girl like you doing out in the middle of the night… all alone?"

She scowled at the man. "What do you want?" she managed to ask trying to sound brave when actually, she was scared out of her mind.

'_My only way out is through the alley. I hope it isn't a dead end.' _

The leader shot her a twisted grin. "We're here for you, doll."

With that, Asagi took off running down the long alley. The five men all looked at each other and smirked then ran after her.

'_Oh Kami, this is bad. Why do they want me? What interest could I possibly be to them?'_

Suddenly one of the men jumped in front of her. She let out a startled scream. The man quickly covered her mouth and restrained her as their leader walked out of the shadows. He proceeded to circle the girl as a means of intimidation, and it was working very well.

Asagi warily watched the man circling her. Her heart was racing and she thought it just might burst. She was scared out of her wits.

Tired of this mans filthy hand on her mouth, she bit into his hand. Quickly he jerked his hand away and cursed. Their boss chuckled as he stopped in front of Asagi.

"Well boys, it looks like we've got ourselves a feisty one." He said as he brought his hand to her chin to get a closer look at her. She hastily jerked her head out of his grasp and glared at him.

He liked this one.

"What the hell do you want with me?" she asked now channeling most of her fear into anger.

"Well doll, we need you for some _unfinished business_ with Sabaku no Gaara." He sneered.

"What unfinished business? And _why_ do you need me?" She asked perplexed, stressing the 'why.' _'Gaara what did you get yourself into?' _

"You're bate, doll." He answered simply.

'_Bate… oh Kami, it's a trap!'_ realization hit her that they wanted Gaara and they wanted him dead, and she was the leverage.

'_Think about it Asagi. If some people were to find out that you associate with me, you could be in danger!'_ She mentally kicked herself for not listening to Gaara. He was right, just like he always was.

"What do you plan to do with me?" she asked, agitated.

The man eyed her carefully. "Hold you captive until we get what we want; and we _always_ get what we want. But first, doll," he grinned spitefully, "I'll have my way with you." he stated as he roughly grabbed her arm.

Her eyes widened as her anger dissipated and fear enveloped her. She struggled to free herself from the man's grasp but to no avail. With almost no possible means of escape now, she did the only thing she could do, she began to fight back.

A scream rang out over the quiet village. Gaara's heart almost skipped a beat.

'_Asagi!'_ He quickly masked his chakra and took off in the direction from which he heard the scream.

As he raced through the village, so did his heart in his chest. To say he was worried would be a huge understatement. He was terrified. He had never in all his life been as terrified as he was now.

Images flashed through his mind as he desperately tried to push them away. The last thing he needed was to be thinking of all the possible things that could be happening to her. Worst case scenario is that she could be…

No! He refused to even consider that as an option because he wouldn't ever let that happen.

He vigorously shook his head in an attempt to rid his mind of the unwanted distractions. If he thought about _that_, he knew he'd lose it.

He couldn't stand to think about losing her. Just the thought made his heart drop. Nothing scared him, nothing at all, except the thought of losing Asagi.

That was his biggest fear, his only fear.

He briefly thought about what a friend once told him. It's alright to have fears; it's a part of our nature. But keep your fears hidden away, for if word falls into the wrong hands, your fears will become your greatest weakness.

And that was just it. Asagi was his weakness. Anyone with half a brain could figure that out. He knew it himself. He was careless; he should have kept his guard up, but he didn't.

He figured she was in danger because of him. And damn to hell the one who dared to use her against him. He swore he'd kill that bastard or die trying.

Quickly he snapped out of his thoughts as he sensed a mass of vaguely familiar chakra up ahead. He sped towards the source and rounded a corner unnoticed.

Standing a few yards from him was a group of five men surrounding an all too familiar turquoise-haired girl.

Suddenly as one of the men grabbed the girl's arm, she began to fight back.

"Let go! Get away from me you creep!" the girl yelled as she struggled to free herself from the man's grasp. The boss just laughed maliciously and twisted her arm, earning a cry of pain to escape Asagi's lips.

Barely able to control his rising anger, Gaara hurled three kunai's at the men in front of him.

Two kunai's precisely hit deadly pressure points in the fourth cervical vertebrae on two of the men, killing them instantly. The third lodged itself in the ribs of the third man, severely injuring him internally.

The three remaining men instantly looked to the source of the weapons. The boss grinned.

"You've arrived earlier that I anticipated. Come to save your wench!" He sneered as he forcefully pulled Asagi causing her to stumble forward.

Gaara looked at Asagi. He felt horrible for letting this happen to her. Her black tank top didn't provide much warmth for her upper body on this chilly night and her lavender fleece pants were dirty and torn.

She looked up at him and met his gaze. Her eyes were glazed over as if suppressing tears. Silently, she pleaded with him to leave.

'_Please, leave. It's a trap, please, you'll be killed.'_

She wished with all her heart he would just listen to her silent pleas, but she knew better. Once he had set his mind to something he followed through with whatever it was until he was finished. And right now she could see it in his eyes; he wanted to mutilate the filthy scum that had taken her captive.

He turned his gaze to the man that was holding Asagi and sent him a death glare that could rival Itachi's.

"Get him"

With that the two other men sprinted towards Gaara. The first came at him head on while the other opted for an attack from behind. Gaara remained motionless as he watched and listened for the attacks of his enemies.

As the one from behind threw a punch at him he quickly ducked and did a spin kick on the ground, knocking the man over. He swiftly jumped to the side to avoid a kick from the already injured man and then lunged at him and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall.

After regaining his composure, the first man charged at Gaara and several ruthless blows connected between the two, with Gaara at an advantage because of the sand shield that automatically protects him. The man jumped backwards and wiped a stream of blood falling from the corner of his mouth, then leapt at Gaara once again and put him on the defensive. He blocked numerous blows and managed to get a few in himself.

As he dodged a punch aimed at his face, he kicked the man in the stomach and he was thrown into the wall. He quickly followed this attack by hurling a shuriken at the man's throat, killing him almost instantaneously.

The second man was just stumbling out of the hole in the wall as he coughed up a pool of blood. Gaara turned and looked at the man and in seconds he was standing before him. He punched the man multiple times in the stomach and then kicked him on the side of his face. The man fell to the ground and more blood spurted from his mouth.

The wound on his side had torn even more from the fighting and blood was spilling from that gash also. Gaara watched as the man's breathing stopped completely and his body became drowned in a pool of crimson.

Turning to the source of the problem, he found that the bastard had taken Asagi to the far end of the alley and had her pressed up against the wall. His blood boiled as he clenched his fists. In less than two seconds he had pried the monster off of Asagi and had landed an infuriated blow to his face. The man skidded back a few feet and smirked maliciously, preparing for his unfinished battle with Gaara.

The two charged at each other concurrently and quickly engaged themselves in a fight so swift, it could only be seen as a blur to the naked eye.

He was a dangerous adversary indeed, this man. When they had fought once before, they were almost evenly matched; that was when Gaara _had_ his gourd. But that didn't matter anymore. He didn't need his gourd to help him kill this man. He could do it, no, he _would_ do it with his own hands.

He had someone he needed to protect, someone that meant everything to him. Just that thought alone gave him the strength and will he needed to beat the living shit out of this vile scumbag. He'd be dammed if he let anything more happen to her.

Asagi slid down the wall as tears continued to stream down her face. She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, as if to protect herself. She felt so… dirty. She shivered. She could still feel the cold, calloused hands roughly roaming her body freely. The disgusting feeling of his arousal still lingered along with the nauseating feeling of his forceful mouth all over her.

Her head dropped and she cried. Cried for her stupidity. Cried for being in this awful situation. But most of all, cried for Gaara. He was fighting for her, because she was too weak to fight for herself. '_How pitiful.'_ She thought bitterly.

He was doing all this for her and she couldn't do anything but sit and cry. She looked up.

Nothing had slowed a bit. Punches and kicks were being thrown left and right. The clashing of metal echoed throughout the neglected alley. Gaara's sand shield was unable to keep up with the swift movements of the two highly skilled shinobi.

Suddenly the two jumped apart. Both were breathing heavy after about ten minutes of non-stop fighting. Gaara wiped away a stream of blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had no serious wounds only a few cuts and scratches here and there. His opponent, however, had multiple wounds and fairly large cuts.

He chuckled as he wiped away blood flowing from a large gash on his cheek. Gaara sneered. Without warning, the man jumped at Gaara, sending him on the defensive for a bit and they were once again engaged in a fierce battle.

Gaara threw a punch at the man, which he avoided by moving back. The man returned with a punch also, which Gaara caught and twisted the man's arm. The man then tried a kick but Gaara let go of his arm and jumped up. The man threw four shurikens up at him and he dodged all but one which hit him on his arm.

He removed the shuriken as he landed and hummed it back at the man as he ran towards him. The man deflected the shuriken with a kunai and slashed at Gaara who grabbed the man's wrist and stopped him about two inches from his face. He pushed the man back and jumped up and over him while grabbing a kunai.

As they turned around, they simultaneously jabbed each other with a kunai.

Asagi gasped. _'No!'_

Blood began seeping from the man's mouth as his body went limp and he fell to the ground. Gaara didn't move. His breathing became ragged as he coughed up heaps of blood. He looked down. The kunai lodged in his chest had just missed his heard but had punctured his aorta and he was bleeding profusely.

He coughed up more blood as he gazed over at Asagi. His vision was getting blurry and his mind was growing blank. _'At least… she's safe.'_ He fell to his knees and began to fall forward.

Asagi was horrified at what had just occurred. Right before her eyes she had watched as Gaara was stabbed. She saw him fall forward and rushed over to him. She caught him before he hit the ground and situated him on her lap.

"No, no!" she cried in between sobs. Tears were pouring down her face; she didn't bother to acknowledge them. Her mind was racing. She didn't know what to do. Here she held her best friend in her arms; he was dying, and there was nothing she could do.

He looked up at her and brought his hand up to her face. He gently wiped the tears away. This simple gesture caused her to break down even more. The look in his eyes was tearing her apart. Filled with sorrow and regret and some other emotion she couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry" he replied roughly. "I can't protect you anymore." She almost choked. "No, don't say that! Don't say that!" she pleaded. He coughed up more blood. His breaths were becoming shorter and his breathing more ragged.

"Asagi, I just want you to know, you've always meant the world to me." He took a deep breath. "I've never had someone I've cared about more than you. I- I love you. I just wish I had told you sooner. I never thought-" He was cut of as he coughed up more blood.

Asagi just stared, her breath caught in her throat as her heart skipped a beat. _'What? Did he just say that he… loved me? No! That can't be! Why is he telling me this now?'_

She closed her eyes. Memories flashed through her head. Then it hit her. She opened her teary eyes and looked into his bright green orbs. _'All this time… he's loved me. I never realized it…'_ Suddenly a stinging pain shot through her chest.

'_This feeling… I've felt it before.'_ She thought for a second and then she realized what this feeling meant that had been plaguing her for so long. Her eyes widened. _'No! It can't be! I can't believe… I never noticed it before.'_

Just then, Gaara gasped in pain which brought Asagi out of her thoughts. She was heartbroken by the pained look on his face. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, she broke down crying and brought herself down to him to hug him. She buried her face in his shoulder as she sobbed uncontrollably with the awareness that the boy she loved was dying.

"No, no! Don't leave me, please, don't leave me! You can't, not now! Please, I love you…" She couldn't help but beg for him to stay with her, although she knew her efforts were in vein. '_Why now? Why didn't he tell me earlier? Oh Kami, please, don't take him from me…'_

As she lifted herself up their faces were only inches apart. With the last of his strength, he lifted his hand and placed it on the back of her neck and slowly brought her down. Their lips met in a gentle and loving kiss that was short lived. As they parted, Gaara gasped again. With his last breath, he managed to whisper one last thing. "Be… happy…"

His arm fell from her neck as his head dropped to the side and his breathing stopped. _'No, no!'_

"Gaara… Gaara."

"GAARA!"

The cold wind blew through Asagi's turquoise hair and sent shivers up her back as she held the lifeless body of the boy she loved. He was gone, and there was nothing she could do.

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**Yeah, so that's the end of chapter one! I hope you guys liked it. I think the fights sucked (since I can't write good fight scenes to save my life) but whatever. And I know Gaara doesn't do that much taijutsu, but just go with it. And the guy he was fighting was like as fast as Lee during the Chunin exams so, yeah. **

**There's one more chapter to this so look for it in the future! Okay!**

**And in case you were wondering, the point of this is that people often blow the smallest things way out of proportion. So don't fuss at me because the reason for her fight was stupid, that was the point.**

**Anyway, please r&r and tell me what you guys think. I worked really hard on this, so be nice okay, this is my first fanfic, so no flames please!**

**laterrr**

**bre**


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